Cutting pay rises 'will deter doctors'

The ACT Government is being warned interstate doctors will avoid working in Canberra if it goes ahead with plans to cut future pay rises.

The ACT Health Directorate is currently negotiating a new standard contract for visiting medical officers (VMOs).

It wants to reduce the current 4 per cent flat rate of indexation under the new agreements.

The Health Directorate says it is confident the new agreement will be attractive to current and new VMOs.

But Dr Peter Hughes from the Visiting Medical Officers Association says the new offer is unacceptable and will make working in the ACT less attractive.

"They're trying to cut the pay and nobody gets pleased about that," he said.

"If the health department or Government continues with this attitude it'll obviously end up in arbitration."

Dr Hughes from the association says it may lead to considerable disruption at Canberra hospitals.

"They're proposing to halve the annual indexation of our contract to 2 per cent, which is less than the national CPI, and they also want to considerably reduce the percentage for fee for service," he said.